In the 1960s, Bandung experienced a textile boom that brought prosperity and jobs to the area. In the present day, locals complain of endemic pollution and health problems linked to unscrupulous factories dumping their waste in the city’s waterways.

Author Archives: Adi Renaldi
Adi Renaldi is a Jakarta-based freelance journalist. His bylines have appeared in NPR, Mongabay, Coconuts Jakarta, Asia Democracy Network, and others. Previously he was a staff writer at VICE Indonesia for four years.
Fear and Loathing at Citarum’s Pollution Ground Zero
Along West Java’s longest river, the Citarum, chemical pollution, siltation and agriculture waste have made the waterway one of the world’s dirtiest. Those working on its banks say efforts are being made to clean it up. But will they turn the tide?
Indonesia’s Steady Stream of Medical Waste
Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, medical waste was an environmental problem in Indonesia, found in almost all the nation’s landfills. This year, a documented rise in medical refuse in Indonesian waterways threatens both the environment and human health.
Stretched Thin: Inside Jakarta’s Ambulance Service
As COVID-19 has spread across Indonesia, with Jakarta at the centre of viral transmission, the capital’s under-resourced Emergency Ambulance Service and relatively small number of first responders and vehicles have become increasingly overwhelmed.